"We'll see what this does, but we can't overreact," Fletcher said Monday. "I think certainly (Tuesday) night we'll see how we do and try to get a feel for what this group needs."

It was just one game, but if Fletcher was using Tuesday as a gauge for what areas to address regarding the Wild's lineup, he has a few items on his to-do list.

Even so, he had to be pleased a depleted group was able to find a win in a game when they were far from perfect.

Without five key players, the Wild were outplayed by the Kings. But a banged up squad found a way to overcome a 40-17 shot discrepancy and earn a much-needed road win in the process.

The Wild entered with major questions in net. Harding is out indefinitely and Niklas Backstrom is still suffering soreness and tightness related to the sports hernia surgery he underwent over the summer.

Remarkably, the play of Darcy Kuemper, making a spot start with limited advance notice, kept the Wild in the game long enough for Nino Niederreiter to net the team's lone regulation goal and eventually the lone successful shootout tally.

Kuemper entered the game with a .625 save percentage and 6.13 goals-against average through two games. But Tuesday night, he was the game's best player.